Rimac Concept One Ready for Buyers, Gets New Tires

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Rimac Concept One Ready for Buyers, Gets New Tires

Well-heeled buyers in search of a 1,088-horsepower electric supercar should helicopter in to Monte Carlo post haste, as Rimac Automobili has started taking deposits on its outrageous Concept_One.

On display at Top Marques Monaco, we first told you about the Concept_One when it debuted last year. It's a Croatian-built electric car with a 372-mile range, a top speed limited to 185 mph and a 0-to-62 time of just 2.8 seconds. Thanks to the electric drivetrain, all 1,180 pound-feet of torque are on tap at a moment's notice.

In addition to those impressive straight-ahead specs, the Concept_One also features a revolutionary drivetrain that mounts one liquid-cooled permanent magnet electric motor in each wheel. Each is controlled independently by its own inverter and reduction gearbox, and together the system provides for all-wheel drive with torque vectoring in order to improve handling. Power comes from a 92kW LiFePO4 battery module.

The whole project is the brainchild of Mate Rimac who converted an '86 BMW 3-series to electric power and then teamed up with 20 engineers to found his eponymous car company in Zagreb, Croatia. That's where the entire car is designed and built, from the sensuous sheet metal to each button on the dashboard.

Because each wheel of the Concept_One has its own electric motor, ordinary tires just wouldn't do. That's why Rimac turned to Vredestein in the Netherlands for the ultimate in rubber. Designed by Giugiaro, the Vredestein Ultrac Vorti is a Y-rated tire that comes in different tread patterns front and back.

Obviously, prices are negotiated differently at the Grimaldi Forum than at your local auto mall, but the folks over at GT Spirit report that the Concept_One will reduce the balance of one's Swiss bank account by around $980,000. Only 88 will be sold, so start saving.

Rimac himself is a serious believer in EV performance, and foresees a world where electric motors will be the powertrain of choice for supercars. "I believe that the electric motor is a much better machine compared to the ICE, in almost all aspects, especially for a sports car," he told us back when the Concept_One debuted last September. If it lives up to its promised performance, we'd be inclined to agree.